Little Surprise
by garbygal
Summary: What happens when a little surprise shows up at Division that could change all of their lives?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Cracking his knuckles, Birkhoff looked over the techs busily working on their random tasks, surveillance and research assignments at their stations. It was a good morning- there were no active missions, Amanda hadn't tried anything in a few weeks, so things were fairly peaceful in Division- as peaceful as they could be. For once it wasn't confusing to be there- it felt like they may actually be accomplishing what they were setting out for.

Nikita and Michael were in Ryan's office having a meeting- probably about the dirty thirty- Alex and Sean were doing all kinds of random tasks that needed doing now that Division had a spare moment. They were currently down a in the weapons cache, taking inventory according to Birkhoff's tablet. Birkhoff sat down in his chair and leaned back, thankful for the peace. "Birkhoff, I have something!" one of the techs called for his attention, putting his screen up on the main display. "Something has triggered a motion perimeter alarm up on the farm."

With a groan Birkhoff got up and walked over to the tech's station. Sure thought there was a big red bar across his screen showing the alert. "Pull up the alarm." Birkhoff directed.

A map filled the big screen. The alarm that had been triggered was right next to the farm, if not in it. "Pull up the cameras." Birkhoff walked closer to the screen.

The camera image filled the screen and when it focused, Birkhoff nearly collapsed from shock. When he recovered, he keyed his earpiece and said to Nikita and Michael, "Guys, we've gotta talk." His eyes never leaving the screen.

Sean and Alex carefully made their way up to the barn. They both had their guns drawn; watching for the smallest sign that someone was around, that some trap was set. When they got to the door, Alex covered Sean while he opened the barn door. He checked around the entryway, and then signaled for Alex to follow him in. There was no sign of anyone around, so they carefully approached what had been placed in the middle of the barn. "What the hell is that?" Sean asked, in shock.

"What does it look like?" Alex questioned him back.

"But what is it doing here?" Sean was completely confused.

"I guess we wake it in to Division and find out." Alex replied.

Ryan, Owen, Michael, Nikita and Birkhoff were all waiting as Sean and Alex made their way into Ryan's office. For his part Birkhoff hadn't told the others what was up there, he wanted them to see it for themselves to make sure they believed it. Alex walked in first, followed by Sean, carrying the basket they had picked up behind him. "What is it?" Ryan asked in a panic, "Did Amanda try to bomb us?"

Sean shook his head no and pulled the basket out from behind him to place it up on the coffee table. Everyone could now see the basket's contents. "What is that?" Nikita asked, looking into the basket in shock.

In the small basket was a pink blanket and a small baby with a little bit of dark blond hair, asleep. "Why did someone leave a baby in the barn? Do we know who did it?" Michael asked.

Birkhoff tapped a couple of buttons on his tablet, pulling up the surveillance video on Ryan's big screen. They watched as a man who appeared to be homeless, by the dirty, tattered clothes he wore, put the basket down and ran. It was obvious someone had paid him to leave the basket and run. After watching the video, Michael made his way to the basket and carefully lifted the tiny girl out. "I don't think Haley was ever this tiny." Michael reminisced about his daughter.

"Hey, there's something under her." Sean reached into the basket, pulling out the manila envelope.

Everyone waited as Sean untied the envelope and pulled out a bunch of papers. He glanced over them quickly before quickly commenting, "Oh no."

"What is it?" Nikita asked as the group watched Sean scan the letter.

"Amanda." Sean replied with contempt clear in his voice.

"Read it." Ryan suggested.

Clearing his throat, Sean began to read, "After three peaceful months I'm sure you've probably forgotten all about me. Trust me I have just been building up my defenses."

Everyone rolled their eyes. Amanda was being cocky and assumptive per normal. "What does this have to do with a baby?" Birkhoff asked.

"You're probably wondering what the baby has to do with anything. Her name is Aviana. She is a couple weeks old," Sean read as Michael continued to rock Aviana in his arms. Birkhoff found it weird to see the trained assassin cradling a baby in his arms. Everyone in the room was surprised when Sean suddenly complained, "What?"

"What is it?" Nikita asked.

Sean cleared his throat and took a breath before continuing to read. Everyone could tell by his reaction that this wasn't going to be good news. Birkhoff could feel the hair on his arms stand up on end. "Aviana is related to one of you."

The room froze in a mixture of shock and fear. How could the baby belong to one of them? None of them had the time for a relationship except Michael and Nikita, and if they'd had a child, it would have been kind of obvious. "What?" Ryan asked in a panic, expressing all their feelings.

"As you know, I have had all of you in custody. Whether for ten minutes or a week, you've been my captive. While I held you, I stole a little of your biological material, the disgust was clear in Sean's voice as he read that information, "Then, with the help of one of my loyal workers, one of you became a parent. I'll send you her birth certificate in a few weeks, until then you will have to sweat over who Avi looks like or belongs to. Love, Amanda."

Sean looked up from the letter and everyone was just staring at each other and the baby in Michael's arms. She was far too little for them to guess who she looked like. It was somewhat safe to rule out Nikita- the baby showed no sign of her Asian heritage. "So now what?" Birkhoff asked. "We are not set up for a baby!"

"No, we're not." Ryan agreed in reply, "But we can't abandon her if she belongs to one of us."

"How do we figure out who she's related to?" Alex played with the baby's tiny foot through the blanket.

"We wait for the birth certificate?" Sean suggested as if it were the obvious answer.

"Birkhoff," Nikita turned to the tech, "Can you do DNA tests?"

Thinking for a moment, Birkhoff replied, "Yeah. It would take a few days."

"What do we do until then?" Owen finally broke his silence.

"Well, someone is going to have to go shopping for supplies." Ryan pointed out, "Then we take care of her in shifts."

"No way!" Birkhoff immediately complained, "Children and I do not mix."

"I second that." Nikita added, clearly uncomfortable with the idea.

"But the navy seal or ex-cleaner are good ideas." Owen sarcastically replied.

Ryan rubbed his temples. Everyone was arguing back and forth and there were just no good solutions. "Guys!" Ryan shouted to get their attention, "I know this isn't ideal, but fighting is what Amanda wants. We need to get through this."

Everyone stopped knowing that Ryan was right. "I will take the first shift, since I'm the only one with kid experience." Michael suggested.

"Sounds good." Ryan agreed. "Meanwhile, Birkhoff, have someone from medical come up to draw our blood and hers."

Birkhoff nodded and headed off to medical. When he got there, the only person around was Ella, a physician's assistant who had been arrested for a car accident, then made her way to Division. She had been pretty new when Division had stopped active recruiting, one of the last to come in, so Birkhoff didn't know her very well. "Hi recruit." He greeted her.

Ella looked up from the medication she had been measuring. "Birkhoff right?" she looked up at him with a friendly smile.

"Yeah." He replied.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, screwing the cap onto the medication, then put it back on the shelf.

"We have a sensitive issue that we need some medical assistance with." Birkhoff explained.

Ella looked at him slightly confused. "Can you at least tell me what kind of equipment I need to bring?" she asked.

"We need to draw blood." He told her. "Please don't spread it around until we make an announcement but there is a baby and we are trying to determine who her parent is."

The look of confusion just continued to grow. "Okay." She gave a smile, "I'm not even going to ask. Let me grab a couple things. How many vials do I need?"

Birkhoff quickly counted in his head- himself Aviana, Nikita, Michael, Sean, Alex, Ryan and Owen. "Eight." He replied.

Ella crossed the room and grabbed the supplies she would need. "I'll take some extra just in case." She told him. Putting everything into her medical bag, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"Ryan's office." Birkhoff replied.

Pulling the strap of the medical bag over her shoulder, she said, "Lead me on."

Birkhoff lead Ella up to Ryan's office. Everyone was still waiting there to get the blood draw done.

Ella had to laugh at the sight as she entered the room. She had never seen a group of people more nervous looking. In the middle of the room was Michael, holding the baby that Birkhoff had mentioned. No one was talking, the room was very quiet. Ella took it as a sign she should just do what she came to do. Putting her bag on the table, Ella pulled out her supplies. "Who's first?" Ella looked around the room.

"Let's do her blood draw first." Michael brought the baby towards Ella.

They put her down on the table and Ella carefully pricked her heel, surprised the baby barely even flinched. After she got the blood she needed and labeled the tube "baby", she bandaged the little girl's heel as she asked, "What's her name?"

"Aviana." Michael replied as Ella wrote it on the vial to be more accurate.

Placing the tube into the tray, Ella asked, "Next?" all of the adults just looked back at Ella.

When no one responded, Ella added, "Come on you're all adults."

Michael rolled up his sleeve so Ella could draw his blood. As she tied the tourniquet around his arm, she asked, "Do you want your tubes labeled by name or do you want me to track the results randomly."

Again they all looked nervously at each other. "Do it randomly," Birkhoff finally suggested, "That way I won't know the results when I run them."

Everyone nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan." Nikita agreed.

Carefully Ella took everyone's blood labeling them with letters and keeping a record or key for herself so they could figure out who the parent was. Ella handed the blood samples over to Birkhoff. "I'll get right on these." He replied, leaving the room.

Paste your document here...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Michael and Nikita sat in Ryan's office after everyone else had went on their way. In his arms Michael rocked the baby girl gently. She was asleep, so at the moment she was being very little trouble. "Isn't she cute?" Michael asked Nikita.

"Yeah." Nikita distractedly replied.

Michael could immediately tell something was wrong. "Nikita, what is going on?" he asked.

Letting out a sigh, Nikita replied, "It's nothing."

"Hey!" Michael tried to get her attention, knowing there was something wrong and she just didn't want to admit it. "You can tell me."

Nikita looked away from his gaze embarrassed to admit the issue. "What if she is mine Michael" Nikita asked.

"What would be wrong with that?" Michael rubbed the baby's cheek gently with his finger.

Nikita grimaced. "I can't be a mother, Michael." She replied, "I am not the right material for a mother."

Shifting the baby in his arms, Michael walked over to Nikita. "Nikita if she is yours, we will love her and raise her. You'll be a fine mother."

"I've told you before Michael, I don't know that children are in the cards for me."

"Try holding her." Michael suggested.

"I don't think I can." Nikita looked up at them.

"If she's yours, you are going to have to get to know her." Michael reminded her.

"I know Michael. Why can't you understand how difficult this is for me?" Nikita rubbed her forehead in frustration.

"Well, we will try this in small steps." Michael told her. 'I think holding her would be a good first step."

A rush of panic filled Nikita as Michael put the baby gently into her arms. She had not held a baby since Sophie in the Victor Han mess. Just the fact that this baby could be hers made it ten times worse. "Nikita," Michael knew exactly what was happening in her head without her even saying it. "Stop overthinking it. If she's yours, we'll deal with it. Just enjoy the beautiful baby you are holding."

Looking down at the baby, she woke up and was grasping her hands in the air towards Nikita. Nikita took her tiny hand in her fingers, and Avianna squeezed her tiny hand around Nikita's index finger. A smile gently crossed Nikita's face. The smile was infectious, causing Michael to smile too. He put his arm around Nikita's shoulders and commented, "You look good holding her."

Nikita rubbed the baby's cheek gently. "So whose baby do you think it is?" Nikita questioned.

"If not one of ours?" Michael questioned. Quietly he pondered it. "Well, let's see. If it is Birkhoff's, heaven save us. He'd have no idea what to do."

"Yeah, but the ex-seal? Sean would be better?" Nikita asked with a laugh.

""He was loyal to his mother. At least he has a sense of family." Michael replied. "Sean would have a sense of duty to his kin. He's got Alex, which would help too."

"Alex." Nikita pondered that possibility, "I hope she could handle it."

"She has been through a lot. A baby would be a lot more stress on her." Michael agreed.

Maybe that's Amanda's game." Nikita gently rocked the little girl.

"Could you imagine Owen as a father?" Michael thought about the next possibility.

"Someone who kills for a living, that may not be a good idea." Nikita said.

"Good idea or not, it may be a possibility. I agree with you there. I don't think Owen has any parenting skills."

He was good with Emily, but yeah,, parenting skills are completely different. I think he and Birkhoff would be the least skilled at being a parent." Michael agreed. "We're all just going to have to help each other. None of his is ideal, but Amanda knew that. That's why she did it."

"Taking care of a baby could tear us apart."

"And that's exactly what Amanda wants." Nikita acknowledged.

"Makes sense." Michael agreed.

"So now what?" Nikita questioned.

"Well, we are going to have to go and get a room ready for her. Someone will have to go out shopping to get things for her since we have nothing for her."

"Who's doing that?" Nikita asked.

"I believe that Alex and Ella were going to go." Michael replied.

Alex and Ella walked into a baby store. The two of them had been nominated to get supplies for the baby. "Have you ever been baby shopping before." Alex asked Ella as she grabbed a cart.

Ella shook her head. "I'm the baby of the family and I have no nieces or nephews."

Alex smiled. "Me either. I guess we'll have to ad lib."

"Hey, look at how cute!" Ella pointed out a tiny pink dress hanging on the rack.

"That's cute. What do you think we should get for clothes" Alex questioned.

"Babies need a lot." Ella tried to remember things she had heard before, but then fustratedly she pulled out her cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Alex questioned.

Punching a few buttons on her cell phone, she replied, "I am looking up a list of supplies for a baby." Ella replied.

Smiling, Alex replied, "That's a good idea. Where does it start?"

"Clothes." Ella replied, scrolling on the cell phone. "5-7 one-pieces for three months."

"Can you imagine if the baby is Birkhoff or Owen's? Them trying to dress a baby if it's their girl I have a feeling they'll have trouble putting into the frilly dresses" Alex laughed.

Ella just nodded. She did not know them too well, so she just had to assume what Alex was saying was realistic. They found the onesies and grabbed a couple of packages of them. "What if she's your daughter?"

Taking a deep breath, Alex didn't respond, absent-mindedly flipping the some clothes. "I don't know." Alex finally replied, "It's a little scary. I have no idea what I would do. I have no idea how to care for a child. And I am definitely not mature enough for a baby."

"You do what you have to." Ella replied.

"I supposed so." Alex answered. "I just don't know what Division is going to do with a baby. I don't know what any of us are going to do with a baby. None of us are ideal parents."

"Unfortunately one of you is a parent now through some cruel twist of fate." Ella continued pushing the cart along, picking out things off the list as they moved along.

"This is insane. Of all the crap that Amanda has pulled, this is the most insane stunt . Owen's an ex-cleaner- he is in no condition to be a father. Birkhoff- I don't think he knows anything about kids. He would have no idea what to do. Nikita has never been thrilled about kids- with everything she has been through and the fight we are fighting, it's just not ideal. Michael has had kids before, he's the only one with any experience. Sean has strong family ties, so that is a plus for him, although the navy seal must not have much child experience and he was the baby of his family."

"I'm sure we will figure it out." Ella tried to reassure Alex.

"I know we will, but this changes everything." Alex replied, clearly stressed out by the situation. "What kind of life will this baby have?"

"A good one." Ella replied, "You are all good people. The baby couldn't ask for better people."

"But a crappy situation." Alex replied.

"Well, I think we are good on clothes, we should go for monitors, bottles, nooks and those kind of things. Lastly we will have to get furniture." Ella tried to arrange with Alex.

"Good thing we brought the SUV." Alex joked as they moved into the next aisle.

Birkhoff was in his office, which was more like a lab, working on the DNA testing. The machines and things were all working while Birkhoff sat supervising. Leaning back in the lab chair,, he tried to imagine how it was real. Ever since he had seen the baby brought into Division, his brain had struggled to comprehend that the child was one of theirs. Even worse- the baby could be his.

It's not that he had anything against children, it was just that he did not have any experience with them. He would not have made the choice to have kids, but now he could possibly be a father. It was a scary thought. He wasn't close to his family and he would have no idea what to do. There was also no interest in kids either. With his life and the way things were going, Birkhoff didn't imagine he would be the best person to procreate. Besides his prowess with computers, he didn't have much to offer a child.

Birkhoff was so lost in the thoughts that he never heard the door open as Michael came in carrying Avianna. "How is it going Birkhoff?" Michael asked.

"I'm still working on it. It is going slowly." Birkhoff turned around to see Michael coming in.

"Well, while you are monitoring everything, it is your turn to watch Avianna." Michael told him while playing with the baby's feet.

"Ah, Mikey, I don't think so." Birkhoff replied, punching some buttons on his computer.

"I think so Birkhoff." Michael replied, walking closer to the tech. "We are all taking turns and it is your turn. She could be yours, you have to get use to her."

"Michael, I have no idea what to do with a baby."

"It's not that hard." Michael smiled.

"For me Mikey. She's not a computer." Birkhoff replied.

"Here." Michael walked over to Birkhoff and gently laid the baby girl into his arms.

"Mikey, what are you doing?" Birkhoff protested.

"See." Michael pointed out when Birkhoff was successfully holding Avianna.

Birkhoff looked down at the little girl. She gurgled a little, then reached up and grabbed Birkhoff's nose. "See, she likes you." Michael protested.

Holding the baby in his arms, Birkhoff was still uncomfortable. He had never been around someone so small. She seemed so fragile it startled him. Looking at the baby, he studied her bright blue eyes, staring directly at him. "Michael, I have no idea what to do with her."  
"She likes to be held. " Michael teased him.

Birkhoff watched as Avi's little face scrunched up and she began to cry. "See," Birkhoff told Michael, "I told you."

"Here." Michael walked over and moved the baby so she was against Birkhoff's chest.

The baby's tiny head on his chest was a little strange to Birkhoff, but Avi stopped crying. His hand gently rubbed the back of Avi's head. "You're a natural." Michael told him.

"Don't even Michael." Birkhoff replied, "There's no way I can care for a baby."

"You'll get used to it." Michael tried to reassure Birkhoff.

"Please don't leave me alone with her." Birkhoff tried to convince Michael to stay with her.

"Birkhoff, I got things I need to do." Michael told him, starting to leave the room.

"Michael, I get the point. I need to get used to her- fine. But you can't leave me with her alone." Birkhoff began to panic.

"You'll be fine Birkhoff. In an hour I'll have Sean come get her." Michael left with a smile.

Birkhoff just starred at the door where Michael had left, then glanced at the little baby in his arms. She yawned and her eyes slowly blinked shut. Looking around the room Birkhoff tried to figure out something to do with the baby. Division wasn't set up at all for a baby- there wasn't even somewhere for him to safely put her down. "I'm sorry you got stuck with me." He apologized to the sleeping baby. "I really haven't a clue what I am doing." He sat down on his couch, the equipment doing the work on its own for the moment. Feeling the little girl's skin was a little cool he grabbed a blanket and gently laid it over Avianna. "I'm really sorry you're in this mess." Birkhoff decided to talk to the baby, "No one deserves us as parents we're definitely a messed up bunch." Birkhoff put his hand on Avianna's back. "I'm a mess, I definitely should not be trying to raise someone. My parents didn't really do a good job with me- I have no idea how to act with other people. Then we've got Mr. ex-military and the heiress. At least they have a stable relationship so you would have mommy and daddy. Sean knows what family is- that would probably bode well for you. Even though Alex lost her family I think. She would be a good mother if we could get her out of the field. Owen- if he's your father, heaven help us. Sometimes I wonder if that guy even has a soul. Mikey- you know Mikey he's had kids before and he would do anything for them. Nikita doesn't want kids, but I think with Mikey they would be good parents."

Looking down, Birkhoff realized Avianna was asleep. He watched her, admiring her innocence for a couple minutes before a beep from his computer got his attention. Being careful for the baby on his chest, he got up and walked over to the computer. Studying the report on the computer, he replied to himself, "Well, that is part one done on person number one. Time for part two."

About an hour later, Sean walked into Birkhoff's office for his shift with the baby. Surveying the room, he was surprised when he didn't see Birkhoff. He scratched his head when his eyes caught Birkhoff asleep on his couch, Avianna lying peacefully on his chest, Birkhoff's hand gently on her back. Quietly Sean pulled his phone out and snapped a picture before walking over to Birkhoff and commented, "Birkhoff, don't you have work you are supposed to be doing?"

Birkhoff startled awake, both hands supporting the baby on his chest. "Sean?" he asked, his eyes blinking open.

"Yeah." Sean replied, "I'm here to relieve you from baby duty."

"Okay." Birkhoff sat up, then handed the baby to Sean, who cradled Avianna in his arms.

"How is the testing going?" Sean asked, adjusting the blanket over Avianna.

"Good, it's going. I'll let you know." Birkhoff stretched, then got up heading back to his computer and equipment.

"See you later." Sean headed out, leaving Birkhoff to his work.

Only part way down the hall, Sean heard excited chatting coming closer. At the corner Sean ran into Alex and the medical tech from before- Ella?- carrying a ton of bags from a baby store. "Did you buy the store out?" he teasingly asked them. "Surely something this small doesn't need that much crap."

"You'd be surprised." Ella replied, "We only bought the essentials from the list."

"I know." Sean smiled, "I was only teasing. I have a couple nieces."

"I didn't know that." Ella smiled in reply, "How's the little one doing?"

Shrugging, Sean replied, "I don't know. I just picked her up from Birkhoff. They were napping."

Pulling the phone from his pocket, he held it up for Ella and Alex to see. Ella smiled and Alex said, "Aww."

"So is there more stuff in the SUV?" Sean questioned.

Both girls laughed. "Ah, where do you think the crib, changing table, stroller and all that are?" Alex finally laughed.

"I'll get Michael, Owen, and Ryan." Sean replied, keying his earpiece Sean called, "Michael, Owen, Ryan, can you guys come down to the vehicle bay.. There's some baby furniture that needs to be moved."

"So where are we putting everything" Ella asked.

"We have decided to use Alex's old recruit room because it is central to all of us." Sean replied.

"Let's go get her room set up." Alex headed towards her old room.

When they got to the room, Alex and Ella put the bags down. Sean looked in amazement as the girls began to unpack diapers and clothes and formula for the baby. "Wow." He said aloud.

About an hour later everyone was in the room except Birkhoff who was still in the lab working on the DNA testing. Michael and Sean had gotten her crib and changing table put together, Alex was feeding the baby who had finally began to cry a few minutes before. As the baby had her bottle in Alex's arms, Alex looked around the room. While the baby things cheered up the rom a bit, the concert walls would need paint and decorations to be a suitable room for the baby. Walking over to Owen, who looked ridiculous putting together a dresser for the baby. "Owen, you know it is your turn with the baby after you are done." Alex teased him.

"You know that's not going to happen, right?" Owen looked at Alex over his shoulder.

"We are all taking turns Owen. You could be her dad just as much as the rest of us, so you need to watch her." Alex reminded him.

"I really don't think that's a good idea." Owen told her, standing up.

"Here," Alex handed the baby to Owen who held her like a football out away from his body.

"Owen! Support her head." Michael moved the baby in his arms.

"Seriously guys? You're going to leave me, the ex-cleaner with a baby?" Owen complained.

"Didn't you and Emily ever talk about kids?" Nikita asked.

Awkwardly rocking Avianna in his arms, Owen replied, "No. We never quite got to that point. I couldn't tell her, about my past, but obviously I'm not exactly dad material."

"Well, you'd better get used to her. She's going to be around." Michael teased.

"So when is Birkhoff going to find out who her parent is?" Owen asked, still rocking the baby awkwardly.

"In a few days he said." Sean replied.

"This is going to be a wild few days." Michael replied.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Alex just stared at the wall in disbelief. With everything going on right now in Division, this was the worst possible thing that could happen. How could she tell Sean? What about the others? She leaned her head back on the wall behind her as she just continued to stare at the wall in front of her in complete disbelief. It was impossible- completely impossible.

The knock on the door brought Alex back to reality. She knew who it was. "Come in Sean." She called.

Alex was surprised when Sean came in carrying Aviana. "Hey Alex." He gave her a soft kiss. "What's going on?"

Taking a deep breath and cracking her fingers nervously in front of her, Alex finally replied, "Sean, you had better sit down."

Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Sean sat down on her bed beside her. "What's going on Alex? Is everything okay?"

Pulling the small item out from under her legs, she handed it to Sean. She could not bear to bring herself to say the words- at least not yet. She watched as Sean's mind slowly processed the information, he turned to Alex in shock. "What?" he asked, "Are you kidding me?"

Alex shook her head. As much as she wished she was, there was no humor in what she had told him. "No." she quietly replied.

"You're pregnant?" Sean was still in shock.

Alex just nodded. "I'm going to have to see someone in medical, but I took three tests and they were all positive."

Sean looked at Aviana in his arms, then at Alex. Besides her being pregnant, Aviana could still be one of theirs too. "Oh wow." Sean wasn't quite sure how he felt, but he knew Alex must be horribly conflicted. "How did this happen?"

Shrugging, Alex replied, "There are a few times we weren't quite careful enough. Apparently that wasn't enough."

"What do we tell the others?" Sean was trying to work through everything in his head.

"I say we go to medical and find out if there is anything to tell. If there is, then we tell them after they find out about Aviana."

"Why after?" Sean didn't quite follow her logic.

"I dunno, give them all the shock at one time." Alex replied.

"Alright. Head to medical, I'll meet you there. I'm going to drop Aviana off with Owen or something."

Nodding in understanding, Alex slowly stood up and headed towards medical. By the time Sean made it after dropping Avi off with Owen, Alex had already got her confirmation. The tech was cleaning off Alex's stomach when he arrived in medical. "Congratulations." The tech was telling her, "By baby size I would say you were about eight weeks pregnant. I would say your due date is going to be Christmas."

"Nice Christmas gift." Sean commented to alert Alex to his presence.

"Yeah." Alex replied dejectedly.

"I'll leave you two to talk." The tech left to give them some privacy.

"Are you okay?" Sean asked her, sensing something was wrong.

"Shocked." Alex replied, "Not to mention a child is not exactly an ideal situation here."

"Well," Sean replied, "With Avi it is beginning to become the norm. He or she will have two loving parents and all kinds of loving friends. We slow our role with the fights. That's all."

Alex rubbed her forehead in distress. "I just don't know if I can handle being a mother."

"We'll learn on the fly. We have Avi's parent to learn from and Avi to practice with."

"What if she is one of ours?" Alex brought up her biggest worry.  
"We'll deal." Sean replied, "We have people around to help us and that's the biggest thing."

On one hand Alex was glad Sean was so confident on the other shouldn't understand how he wasn't terrified. Now even if Aviana wasn't one of theirs they would still be parents in seven months. Alex also couldn't imagine how she would do this without being able to tell her one live family member, her mother. Overall she took some relief in what Sean had said- whoever Avi's parent was they would all help and they would do the same for their baby.

"Hey! There you guys are!" Ryan greeted Alex and Sean. "I've been looking all over for you. IS everything okay"

Sean and Alex looked at each other and Alex responded. "Fine. Just fell and twisted my ankle." Alex lied, "Wanted to make sure I didn't break it."

Looking like he wanted to call her out on a lie, instead he ignored it, knowing there was probably good reason. "Well, Birkhoff has been looking for everyone." Ryan reported.

Both Sean and Alex knew exactly what that meant. "He knows what the baby's father or mother is." Sean asked.

Ryan just nodded. "He and the medical tech Ella just finished al the samples and have one match."

"well," Sean suggested, "I guess we head upstairs."

When Sean, Alex and Ryan arrived in Ryan's office, Nikita looked completely nervous, Michael excited and Owen was rocking Aviana back and forth. For a cleaner he had some kind of weird knack with the baby and he was good with her. Surprisingly enough Birkhoff looked even more terrified than Nikita and he also looked exhausted from spending the nights up working. Ella looked tired too but in far better overall condition than Birkhoff since she didn't have to worry about if Aviana was her daughter.

Birkhoff and Ella had arranged seats in a circle and everyone sat down. It was oddly silent, probably since they all knew this was something that would completely change one of their lives forever. Once Ella had practically ripped the baby from Owen's arms, she stood in the middle of them. "So I know who the parent is." She started, "but only me. What I decided would be the best option was to have you all close your eyes and when you are ready, I'll place Avi in her basket behind her parent. Then you will all find out at once."

No one wanted to play games, but no one exactly wanted to argue either. They all just silently nodded their agreement, then one-by-one closed their eyes. Ella instructed them to give a thumbs up once they were ready and slowly but surely they all did. "Okay, I'm going to put Avi down." Ella announced, placing Aviana in her basket, "I'll let you know when you can open 'em."

Slowly Ella made her way behind the group Part of her was disappointed that Avi's parent wasn't exactly thrilled about being a parent and had very few parental skills, but she knew everyone would help, she would help and they would get it all figured out. Slowly she walked towards the person who both sets of DNA tests-hers and Birkhoff's, had identified the sample as a parent. As she placed Avi down behind the chair she was worried about their reaction. Taking a few quiet steps back, she took one more look around the group that would never be the same. "Okay, open." She directed, thumbing the smelling salts in her pocket just in case.

Michael's eyes immediately grew large as he could see the baby across from him before he ever checked behind him. He had happened to be sitting across from Avi's parent. One-by-one as everyone checked behind themselves then looked around for the baby, they came to see who the parent was. He was still turned backwards from them in total shock. Obviously he had known it was a possibility but every time he had worked it out in his head he'd never thought the baby would be his. It was finally Nikita who broke the silence calling out, "Awe, little Nerd."

Birkhoff still hadn't moved. Ever since he had turned around to see the baby behind him he had been frozen in place. Aviana was his, Aviana was his daughter, Aviana Birkhoff. His mind was swimming with thoughts but he could not move. "Seymour?" Ella had taken to calling by first name since they had been working so closely together. "Are you okay?"

Birkhoff looked up at Ella wide-eyed and still in shock. "She's mine?" he questioned in disbelief.

Ella nodded. "Both of us got the same result Seymour. Your sample."

Looking down at the baby, Birkhoff picked her up slowly, staring the whole time. He studied the baby's tiny features, trying to rationalize how she looked like him. "Hi Avi." He softly said to her, garnering a happy gurgle from her in reply, "I'm your daddy."

Alex was relieved with the news but smiled at Birkhoff using the word 'daddy.' It just seemed so strange- but it always was with Division. She was even more surprised when Sean suddenly announced, "Hey Birkhoff," causing Birkhoff to look up at him instead of Avi. "Alex and I just wanted to let you know that in seven months Avi is going to have a playmate." He put his arm around a stunned Alex.

The room got even more shocked- if that was even possible. Michael looked happy- he was all for kids, but Nikita looked in shock and like she could be sick at any moment with Alex's news. Ryan and Owen looked surprised- but very happy for the couple. "Alex?" Nikita asked to get confirmation.

"I was just in medical." She replied, "I'm due around Christmas."

Division was about to get a whole lot different. Birkhoff rocked the baby in his arms, still in surprise. He didn't know why Amanda would do this to him. Nikita had always been her target, it didn't make sense why she would target him instead. It was more likely that she targeted Birkhoff because if the baby caused Birkhoff to fall apart- which it very well could, it would cause Nikita more heartbreak. It honestly didn't matter anymore, now he just had to worry about Aviana. He glanced down at his tiny daughter. Her big blue eyes stared up at him, a gentle smile crossing her face. Being his daughter he was surprised at the tiny one's temperament and how happy she was. Sure there was a side of Birkhoff that had been that way when he was little, but it had been a really long time.

His chest was tight in a knot in complete fear. He knew that everyone would back him up and that they would help him care for Avi, but it didn't make him any less afraid. Birkhoff had been an only child and had never been around children at any time during his life. This caused a panic- how could he care for a baby when he had no idea what to do? Avi was beautiful, but he did not want to screw her up. Division- and more specifically him and his life, were not set up to care for a baby or to raise a baby.

Giving Avi his pinky finger, she wrapped her tiny fingers around it. Even though he was terrified about this, looking into her eyes, all Birkhoff felt was love. He couldn't explain it, but for the first time in his life he felt completely attached to someone. It terrified the hell out of him, but he figured this is what being a parent was. "So, how do you feel?" Michael came over and looked at Avi over Birkhoff's shoulder as he stood behind her.

"Strange." Birkhoff replied, "I have no idea what to do, but I know that I love her."

Michael was surprised to hear that confession from Birkhoff, but he understood it. He barely knew Max, but he would do anything for him. It was just something that happened. It was strange to see Birkhoff that way, but he supposed it could happen to anyone. "Well, let me know if you need any help. I have done it before." Michael replied, giving Birkhoff's shoulder a supportive squeeze.


	4. Chapter 4

_NOTE: Thanks for your patience while I dealt with severe writer's block and issues. I am going to try to update a lot more frequently- and I will be updating stories with the most follows/reviews/favorites first- so make sure you let me know if you like the story!_

Chapter Four

Birkhoff found himself standing in the makeshift nursery in a fog. He held Avi in his arms, just nervously glancing around the room. He knew nothing about babies- he had never been around them. There were barely any lasting relationships to speak of in his life- much less the talk or preparation for a baby. His mind suddenly jumped to Sonya. It was the longest relationship that Birkhoff had ever had- and now he would have to find out how she would respond to the fact that he had a baby.

Avi's sudden cry brought Birkhoff back to reality. Walking to a small fridge, he pulled out a bottle filled with water, and then carefully put formula into it as Ella had shown him. He shook the bottle as he walked to the rocking chair and sat down. Avi took the bottle very willingly and gave Birkhoff a grateful look with her tiny eyes. Carefully he rocked with Avi in his arms as she took the bottle hungrily.

The big question was how Birkhoff could handle being a father. When they had given him the baby, Birkhoff had felt an even strong bond to her- something in his heart changed once he knew she was unquestionably his. Immediately he felt an incredible love for her and wanted nothing more than to protect her. He was sure those were very fatherly feelings, but it was still very strange to him. Ella had spent an hour working with him- showing him how to feed her, prepare her bottles, how to change and swaddle her- all the things that the baby's mother would have been showing her how to do. It was strange to him since he had never gotten the nine months or so to prepare for the fact that he was going to be a father. One day he was not a father (that he knew of) and the next day he was a single-father. It was mind boggling to him and completely scary. He was now in charge of this little person and raising her to be a functional human being and member of society- something he couldn't eve claim to be himself.

After a little while rocking Avi as she took the bottle, he looked down and realized that Avi had fallen asleep after finishing her bottle. Putting the bottle down on a table beside the rocking chair, Birkhoff wiped her mouth and burped her, then placed her into the crib that the women had set up. Then seeing the baby monitor on the dresser table, Birkhoff turned it on and put the monitor in his pocket. For the most part he was going on instinct for now. After he made sure that Avi was settled and still asleep, Birkhoff headed back towards Operations.

"So are you planning to have the baby? You are, right?" Sean nervously asked Alex.

Wringing her hands, as nervous as she was, that answer was easier than she had imagined. "Of course." She replied, "I couldn't do anything else."

"This is amazing." Sean excitedly commented.

Alex grinned. "I take it you are excited to be a father?"

Nodding, Sean replied, "I love my nieces and to have one of my own is going to be exciting."

"And with me?" Alex questioned.

Sean just smiled in reply. "There is no one I would rather it be with."

Alex rubbed her belly, still flat at this point, and then asked Sean, "Do you think we'll have a boy or a girl?"

Shrugging, Sean replied, "I'm not sure."

"Let me rephrase then." Alex immediately responded, "Do you rather have a girl or a boy?"

Smiling, Sean thought for a few seconds. "Well, " he finally responded, "It would be nice to have a little boy to do boy things with- playing catch, those kind of things, but there's also something said for daddy's little girl. Especially if she is as beautiful as her mother."

Alex blushed, not sure how she felt. She definitely didn't want to have a little girl who turned out exactly like her- but the little girl from her drug-induced dream had been so beautiful. She didn't know much about boys, but Sean having a little boy just like him would be cool too. "It doesn't matter. I will be happy either way as long as it's healthy."

A sudden beep alerted the couple to the intercom coming on for a message. "Hey guys?" Michael announced as they recognized his voice right away. "Can you come to Operations? We have a situation."

"Okay." Sean replied as he and Alex looked at each other in confusion.

Birkhoff, Alex and Sean all arrived in Operations at the same time. Michael, Nikita, Owen and Ryan were already there waiting. Before any of them could question why they had been called there, the elevator doors opened and Sonya walked in, carrying two baskets very similar to the one Avi had arrived in.

Sonya had been gone researching new security protocols and today she was returning to Division. That didn't exactly explain the baskets. "Where did you find them?" Michael asked her, taking a basket for Sonya.

Their worst fears were realized when they caught sight of the baby in each basket. Amanda had been playing God with their genetics more than just for Avi. Michael put the basket on the ground and Sonya put hers next to it. The babies were a boy and a girl- one wrapped in a blue blanket and one in a pink blanket like Avi had been. "What's going on?" Sonya asked, completely confused why she had just carried two babies into Division and why no one looked as surprised as they should be.

"A few days ago Amanda brought us another basket like this, a little girl." Michael explained. "She used genetic material she collected from all of us the different times that she's held us captive. The first little girl turned out to be Birkhoff's daughter."

Seymour looked up from the ground and he locked eyes with Sonya. Sonya's eyes were wide in shock, her mouth gaped open in shock. He knew that they would have to have a long conversation later. They wouldn't get the chance now as Michael grabbed the first baby out of his basket. The baby was older than Avi- probably a few months old. The baby smiled at Michael as he picked him up, Michael using his free hand to pick up a piece of pape4r from under the little boy. He glanced at it and then immediately handed it to Birkhoff. He knew without looking that it was Aviana's birth certificate. Sure enough, Birkhoff was listed as her father and mother listed as an Elliana Graves, probably Amanda's helper that had given birth to the baby. Aviana's birthday on the certificate was on April 21, 2013.

Birkhoff looked up again to find Michael grabbing another piece of paper from where the baby had been laying. "His name is Liam." Michael read off the piece of paper.

"Who are his parents?" Alex asked nervously.

Michael cleared his throat. "His full name is Liam Alexander Elliott." He looked at Owen. "His mother is Alexandra Udinov."

Alex just about fell to the floor, Sean grabbing her before she could. She was pregnant and now she also had an about three-month-old son. Sean grabbed her arm to hold her steady then helped her into a chair. Meanwhile Nikita nervously asked, "What about the little girl?"

Ryan walked to the second basket to search under the little girl for her paperwork. "This little lady is Hazel." Ryan read off the birth certificate. "Hazel Marie Samuelle."

Michael's eyes bulged in surprise. "My daughter?" he asked in amazement.

Ryan nodded. "She's also Liam's twin."

They all looked at Alex, knowing exactly what that meant. Alex braced herself against the chair in shock. In a little over seven months she would have three children. Sean beside her was surprised and didn't know how to react. His significant other had just found out that she had two kids with two of their good friends. Sure, they hadn't had the children the normal way and that took some of the awkwardness out of it, but still they were now all tied together by these children for the rest of their lives. It was odd to say the very least.

Nikita was also very confused. She had already almost lost Michael when Max came into the picture. Now he had another baby, and it was with Alex- her protégé. This was all completely messed up- although that wasn't horribly surprising when Amanda was the mastermind. Amanda was obviously  
store."

"I'll go with her." Ryan suggested, leaving the room to find Ella.

Finally that night they had gotten everything settled. Ella and Ryan returned from the baby store and they had set up a nursery for the twins. Once they had gotten the babies settled, they met back in Operations. Sonya and Birkhoff were sitting together in the back. "So you have a daughter?" Sonya asked him, seemingly unnerved at the situation.

Birkhoff could tell right away that Sonya was not alright with it. "Yes, I do." He replied, "Her name is Aviana."

"Are you nervous about being a father?" she questioned.

Birkhoff slightly nodded in reply. "Of course. I know nothing about being a father. But, as soon as the results came back that she was biologically my daughter, I love her. Scared or not, Amanda made it a reality. Now I just have to get use to the hand I have been dealt."

Sonya still did not look that comfortable with the situation- even more than Birkhoff had been when he first got the news. Birkhoff knew it was strange, but he didn't understand why she was so upset by the prospect- why it would bother her. With everything being so fresh he knew better than to question her now. "Do you want to meet her?" he asked Sonya.

When Sonya shook her head no, Birkhoff knew something was really wrong with this picture- Sonya was very turned off by the idea of a child. "Can I ask why not?" Birkhoff curiously asked her.

"I don't like to talk about it." Sonya replied, getting up and walking away without another word.

Birkhoff looked confused as everyone else watched the situation unfold. None of them understood what was going on. Sonya had been recruited to Division while Michael and Birkhoff were on the run, so neither of them knew a lot about her background and what might be making her feel this way. Birkhoff was surprised how little he apparently knew about his girlfriend. He got up and silently walked towards Aviana's nursery. It was going to be a rough ride for sure.

Once Birkhoff was gone, Nikita asked, "Do we know what is going on there?"

Michael just shook his head. "We weren't here when Sonya came in, so we don't really know her backstory. I get the feeling Birkhoff doesn't know at least this part either. We'll have to just be patient with her and support both of them."

"I kind of know how she feels." Nikita replied.

This was the one part Michael was a little nervous about. He knew that Nikita was never a fan of the idea of children and while the kids weren't hers, they were now a big part of the group. "Are you alright with this?" Michael asked her.

Nikita pursed her lips. "Not really. I still feel like kids shouldn't be raised by people with my background."

"You'll do fine." Michael tried to encourage her. "We are all learning on the fly and Amanda is just trying to break us apart. We have to be stronger than her."

"I know." Nikita replied, hesitantly. "It's just all very strange- Owen a father, Birkhoff a father and Alex having two kids- one with my fiancé."

"It's hard, and it's weird, I know." Michael replied, "But we can make it through. We can prove Amanda wrong. We've dealt with worse issues. Ella is here to help- apparently she's had a lot of experience with kids- she will make sure that we can deal with everything."

"I'll try Michael, I'll try. But I'm not promising anything yet." Nikita nervously replied.

Michael smiled, knowing Nikita was doing exactly that. "That's all I can ask."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

When Birkhoff woke suddenly and glanced at the bedside clock- 1:59 AM- he had originally hoped the whole baby thing was a dream. The loud shrill cries of his daughter on his bedside table quickly reminded him that it wasn't. Slowly climbing from the bed, Birkhoff grabbed the robe he had hanging from his bedpost and pulled it on, then carefully guiding his feet into the slippers he trudged down to Aviana's nursery. It was a short walk and as he switched the light on beside the door, he greeted Aviana with, "Hey there loud girl, what's the problem?"

As he walked over to the crib, Birkhoff found himself surprised that it felt so natural to greet Avi at her crib. Carefully he lifted the tiny infant out of the crib then carried her over to the formula. Balancing Avi in one arm against his chest, Birkhoff made her a bottle and brought her over to the rocking chair. Holding the bottle for her, Avi took it and began drinking with a tiny suckling noise. "You look really natural with her." Alex's voice suddenly startled him.

Looking up at the door, Birkhoff saw Alex standing there, rocking Liam gently in her arms. "You're up too?" Birkhoff glanced down at Avi to make sure she was still eating.

Alex just nodded in reply. "You only have one- I have two- twice as much as fun."

"How are their fathers doing?" Birkhoff just watched his little daughter eating, admiring the tiny version of himself.

Smiling, Alex replied, "Sean's been helping a lot. He helped me put them to bed. Michael's feeding Hazel in the nursery. Owen seems to be in a little bit of shock that this is his son after how well he did with Avi before she was your daughter. I think being a father scares him, but he doesn't mind children. How are you holding up?"

"Terrified." Birkhoff replied, "Computers are one thing, babies are completely another."

"You seem to be doing well so far." Alex smiled in reply.

"I hope so." Birkhoff had a touch of nervousness in his voice that Alex had never heard before- the normally cocky and confident tech seemed shy, reserved, and questioning his new found status as a father.

Alex walked over to Birkhoff and gently patted his shoulder. "You're doing fine B. You'll see."

When Birkhoff looked down, he realized Aviana was sound asleep. Slowly he got up, laying Avi gently in her crib. "She's a good baby." Alex commented as Birkhoff tucked Avi in, then gently tussling her hair.

"Yeah." Birkhoff hesitantly replied. "I guess so."

"I'm going to go put Liam down." Alex smiled to him, "Good night."

Alex walked into the nursery across the hall. Michael was asleep, little Hazel asleep against his chest. With a smile she carefully brought Liam to his crib, put him down, the carefully took Hazel from Michael and placed her into her crib. Michael didn't stir, obviously wiped out from being up with his daughter.

Turning off the lights, Alex continued down the hallway, passing by Nikita and Michael's room. When she did, she was surprised to find Nikita sitting up on the edge of the bed. "Nikita?" Alex quietly asked, walking quietly into their bedroom.

Nikita glances up at Alex quietly entering the room. "What are you doing up?" she asked quietly.

"I have baby twins, remember?" Alex half-laughed in reply.

"Oh yeah." Nikita distractedly replied.

Alex could tell something was wrong- something was troubling Nikita. "Michael's just in the nursery." She told Nikita, assuming her concern was Michael's disappearance from the bed.

"I know." Nikita replied.

"Then what's bothering you?" Alex was confused.

Nikita looked quite disturbed. "I don't know if I can talk to you about it."

Right away that alarmed Alex. Even through all their fights, the one thing they had always had was communication. "Why now?" Alex asked, "We have always been able to talk."

"You have a daughter with my fiancé. I'm not sure we can talk about it." Nikita finally replied.

"What?" Alex could understand that she would be upset or confused, but not how Nikita would want to take it out on her- it had never been her fault.

Nikita rubbed her head. "Alex- I just need a little time to think. I'm not mad at you, but I need to sort this all out in my head."

With a nod, Alex stood up. She could certainly understand Nikita's dilemma- and her request- but it still hurt. Heading back to her bedroom, Alex found Sean fast asleep in their bed. Slowly she climbed into the bed, trying not to wake Sean, but she just could not fall asleep. She knew that Nikita had a right to be upset, but at the same time it was upsetting to her, Michael and she had no choice in the matter either. Even though they had no choice, it was costing her a friend at the moment. She did not realize it right away, but she had begun to cry. It was not normal for her, but the pregnancy hormones could definitely play a role.

"What's going on?" Sean groaned tiredly, rolling over as his voice suddenly startled her.

Alex turned over to see that Sean had woken, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Sorry." She replied.

"It's okay." He replied, putting his arm around her, "What's wrong sweetie?"

"Nikita is refusing to talk to me. She's a little confused about the situation." Alex explained, wiping her eyes. "Nothing to cry over, right?"

Sean cupped Alex's cheek and looked into her teary eyes. "You are pregnant- with my child." He grinned. "The hormones are nuts!" he tried to sooth her. "Nikita will figure it out- Michael and you had nothing to do with the baby-s he will remember that and figure it all out."

"I know." Alex sighed. "I just could use a friend right now. I need someone to talk to."

"Just don't forget you have me." Sean reminded her.

"I know, but I kind of wanted a girlfriend to talk to." Alex replied.

"You have Sonya too." Sean suggested.

Alex thought about that for a second. "Remember how she acted this morning? I think something's up that she doesn't want to talk about the children, so…"

"Yeah." Sean agreed. "Something did seem odd. We'll have to look into that. See what we can do for her. But for now-" Sean leaned over and kissed her forehead. "We need our sleep because those babies will have us up again before you know it."

The next morning when Birkhoff trudged into the kitchen area, he felt like he was completely hung over. Aviana had woke him up at 2:00, 3:15, 4:30, 5:20 and 6:45 AM- this time he just stayed up and went to the kitchen after putting her back down. Ryan was in the kitchen making coffee. When he whistled happily to himself, Birkhoff interrupted him with, "Ryan, please, I got like no sleep." Birkhoff sat down at the table, cradling his head in his hands.

Walking over to the table, Ryan put down a cup of coffee in front of Birkhoff. "You look like hell Birkhoff. Rough night with the little Nerd?"

Birkhoff glared at Ryan, then took a huge gulp of coffee. "Thanks." He finally nodded to Ryan.

Alex was the next person to walk sleepily into the kitchen. She was not quite as tired as Birkhoff since Sean, Owen and Michael were all helping her. "Rough night for you too?" Ryan put a coffee down on the table for her too.

Taking a look at Birkhoff, Alex had to hide a giggle. "Rough first night?" she asked Birkhoff as she took a drink of the coffee.

Nodding and still slouched over the table, Birkhoff, taking another sip of coffee, replied, "Taking some getting used to."

"Only one of you and there are at least four of us taking care of the twins." Michael, tired, but not too ragged, walked into the room.

A sudden cry on the baby monitor attached to Birkhoff's PJ bottoms caused him to bang his head on the table lightly. He wasn't upset with her, but frustrated at the situation- he was dead tired. "Let me get her for you." Michael patted his shoulder, then headed out of the room before Birkhoff could protest.

"It'll get better Birkhoff." Alex tried to convince the Nerd who was very close to sleeping on the table, his head drifting dangerously close.

"Hey Alex." Owen came into the kitchen next, carrying Liam.

Alex smiled at the site of her son and the sight of Owen holding him. "Owen. Liam's up?"

Nodding his head, Owen replied, "Yes. I went in to check on him and he was awake. But hey, why was Michael in Aviana's nursery?"

All Alex had to do was point to Birkhoff, who's head had finally hit the table and he had gone to bed. "Rough night." Alex laughed, "Avi is younger than the twins."

Owen just nodded and grabbed a cup of coffee, sitting beside Birkhoff, still asleep at the table. He balanced Liam carefully on his lap and took a drink. "So I was thinking," Ryan suddenly announced, "This is really not the best place to raise kids."

Everyone silently thought for a minute. Ryan was right, even though he didn't have any kids. None of them would ever pick Division to raise their kids. "That's true." Alex agreed.

"Maybe we ought to get everyone and talk about it. I think we need to look for a new beach house." Ryan suggested.

"That would be better." Owen agreed. "A yard for the kids where they can play, a more normal environment than this…"

"Mechanical boot camp?" Michael added when Owen couldn't come up with a description.

"Exactly." Owen replied.

"But how would we function Division?" Ryan asked.

"Like a job. We would work 9-5 but then have a house." Alex suggested.

"We could take turns with who stays with the kids so that they are in the house instead of Division but there's still someone here overseeing the agents. We could also promote some of the advanced agents to a more supervisory role to help out." Ryan suggested.

Everyone thought about the suggestion. It was certainly a good idea and it would probably work. They just had to find the right kind of place for them. Birkhoff had kept them safe in beach houses in the past and technology for security had definitely improved since the last beach house they had. "Well, I'd say the first step is having Birkhoff look for something, but I say we let him sleep first." Alex chuckled.

Birkhoff just let out a light snore in response. "We will be safe there, right?" Alex asked.

Alex had just expressed everyone's fears. It was hard enough keeping themselves safe, now they were going to have three little ones, plus Alex's baby once it was born in seven months, to protect. They had to make sure that Amanda could not find them. "Birkhoff will find a way." Ryan tried to reassure everyone. "We will make this work."

"Make what work?" Michael finally came back into the kitchen after helping with Aviana.

"We were talking about finding a new place, a new beach house, to raise the kids. Have them there and live there at night, but work at Division during the day- promote some of the higher up agents into more supervisory roles to help out." Ryan explained.

Michael thought for a minute. That definitely made sense, it was a good idea to keep the babies out of this environment while they were growing up- they didn't need any more agents. It would be a challenge, but it was definitely something they would have to do for their children's' safety and security.

Later that afternoon Birkhoff was working frantically at his computer next to Sonya. They were both working hard to find a new beach house but they were not talking to each other. There had not been much said between them since Sonya returned to find out that Birkhoff was a father. Birkhoff had already located a nice house that they could afford nearby so they would be able to work at Division each day and now they were working on security measures for the new house. They had to get perimeter alarms, gorilla glass for the windows, Kevlar curtains and those kinds of things. They wanted to get the house ready as soon as possible so they could make their kids' lives as normal as possible. When Birkhoff had woken up from his breakfast table nap, he had completely agreed with everyone else's assessment that they should move.

While they were working, Birkhoff was stewing on the inside. He could not understand why Sonya was so quite. Up until Sonya's trip and finding out about Aviana, Sonya had said very little to him. He could tell there was something going on but Sonya just would not admit anything to him- especially since she wasn't talking to him. Finally Birkhoff announced "What is it?"

Sonya stopped working and looked over at Birkhoff. "What?" she asked in confusion.

Birkhoff turned his chair to face Sonya. "Ever since you returned from your trip, you have barely talked to me. Especially since you found out that I have a daughter. What is going on? What is the problem? It's not like I cheated on you, it's not like I planned this, but you are acting like I shot your dog or something."

Not replying for a while, Sonya seemed to be thinking about Birkhoff's allegations. "I'm just not comfortable with kids, especially babies." Sonya finally replied.

"What?" Birkhoff was sort of surprised to hear this. With Sonya's personality he really had not expected that. "Is there a reason why?"

"No." Birkhoff could immediately tell by the quickness of her response that Sonya was lying, but he didn't want to push her when she was obviously upset. "I just don't know that I can handle being around a baby. Especially one that is my boyfriend's daughter." Sonya continued.

Birkhoff didn't know how to respond. He couldn't do anything about her being his daughter, and even though it was a strange situation, he knew he loved her with all his heart. It kind of hurt him that Sonya was so dismissive of Aviana. "You'll get use to her." He finally announced to see her reaction, "I am."

"I don't think so." Sonya replied to Birkhoff's confusion. "I just can't be around her, I'm sorry."

"Wait," Birkhoff was desperately hoping this wasn't going where he thought it might be. "Are you saying you would break up with me because Amanda created a child with my DNA and I am raising her now?"

"I am saying I can't go out with someone with a child." Sonya simply replied, looking away to avoid Birkhoff's hurt glance.

The sting hit Birkhoff right in the chest, worse than anything he'd ever felt before. He though he and Sonya had something special and now she was breaking up with him over something he'd had no control of. "I thought you loved me?" he looked at Sonya, completely hurt.

"I did- I do." She replied, "But I just can't do it, I just can't be around a child of my boyfriend's." Sonya stood up and kissed Birkhoff's cheek lightly, "I'm sorry." She walked out of the room.

Birkhoff was left sitting there in shock wondering what could possibly be causing these feelings in Sonya and hoping that one day they would be able to overcome them. He was only sitting there a minute before Aviana's cry brought him back to reality and he locked his computer, heading to her nursery.


End file.
